U.S. Water News Online
DENVER -- This fall Denver Water will have to release enough water to supply more than 50,000 homes and send it down the Colorado River to Western Slope users.
Under a long-standing agreement with the federal government, Denver Water, the state's largest utility, must make up the difference whenever the federally-owned Green Mountain Reservoir doesn't have enough water. This fall, the amount it owes is 26,439 acre feet of water, an amount equal to almost 10 percent of what Denver Water uses each year.
The transfer comes as Denver Water board members consider lifting watering restrictions and drought surcharges on its 1.2 million customers in the metro area. Earlier this summer, the board voted to add an extra watering day, allowing residents to water their lawns three times a week.
Marc Waage, Denver Water's water resource engineer, said the board has taken the Western Slope payback into consideration in its plans.
After the water is transferred, assuming normal weather, Denver Water's 10 reservoirs will be at 75 to 80 percent of capacity by Oct. 1. That is much better than level two years ago during the depth of the drought, he said.
"We're just trying to balance the need to keep water in our reservoirs to protect against the continuation of the drought with not overdoing the restrictions on our customers," Waage said.
The ongoing drought has left Green Mountain Reservoir in Summit County short for the third time in four years. Under the federal agreement, Denver Water can keep water in Dillon Reservoir that would normally go to Green Mountain Reservoir, but, in the dry years, it must reimburse Green Mountain.
This will be the seventh time since 1964 that Denver Water has had to transfer water to make up for low levels.
The situation could have been even worse but Xcel Energy didn't require Denver Water to send extra water down the Colorado River to help power a hydroelectric plant in Glenwood Springs. The plant was off-line for repairs this year, allowing Denver Water to keep an extra 30,000 acre feet of water.
There has also been reduced demand for lawn watering because of more frequent rainfall this summer.
However, State Engineer Hal Simpson said the conditions at Green Mountain Reservoir shows what happens without a heavy snowpack.
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